TREASURER MOORE PRESENTS UNCLAIMED PROPERTY CHECK WORTH MORE THAN $18,000 TO CITY OF SHINNSTON
State Treasurer Riley Moore visited Shinnston City Hall on Thursday, Aug. 22, to present an unclaimed property check worth $18,009.25 to the City of Shinnston.
“I am proud to reunite the residents of Shinnston with these lost funds,” Treasurer Moore said. “I want to encourage individuals and organizations to keep checking our unclaimed property database because you never know if there may be unclaimed funds in your name.”
Treasurer Moore presented the unclaimed property check to Shinnston Mayor Patrick Kovalck, Vice Mayor Amanda Sayers and City Manager Tori Drainer on Thursday afternoon. The funds were from miscellaneous checks that were turned over to the Office’s Unclaimed Property Division.
“We’re very happy that the Treasurer’s Office has a website that’s so easy to access money that is laying out there,” Mayor Kovalck said. “Without that accessibility, it would’ve taken a lot longer to find this money.”
Part of the funds will be used for park development and other projects in Shinnston. Mayor Kovalck said the rest of the money will be put back into the city’s general fund.
“One of the checks was for a pavilion in our park, so we’ll be able to use that for park development,” Mayor Kovalck said. “The other money we will put in the general fund and discuss with Council how best to spend that money.”
Treasurer Moore recently announced that his Office returned $3.1 million worth of unclaimed property to individuals, businesses and organizations during the month of July, which was the first month of the state’s 2025 Fiscal Year. This is on top of another record-breaking $28 million returned over the last fiscal year.
“Through our efforts to modernize the state’s unclaimed property program, we have reunited citizens and West Virginia businesses with their money at the fastest pace in state history,” Treasurer Moore said. “Last fiscal year, my Office shattered a state record by returning $28 million worth of unclaimed property to its rightful owners.”
The State Treasurer’s Office has more than $400 million worth of unclaimed property listings in its database. Currently, Harrison County has more than 142,000 unclaimed property listings worth more than $20 million for individuals, businesses and organizations.
Treasurer Moore encourages everyone to visit www.WVUnclaimedProperty.gov to find out if the Office is holding any money for you or your family.
What is Unclaimed Property?
Unclaimed property can include financial accounts or items of value in which the owner has not initiated any activity for one year or longer. Common examples include unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts and unused rebate cards. (While the title includes the word “property,” it does not however include real estate.)
West Virginia’s unclaimed property laws protect the public by ensuring money and property owed to them is returned to them, rather than remaining permanently with financial institutions, business associations, governments and other entities. The Treasurer seeks to reunite the unclaimed property, including uncashed paychecks, stocks, or safe deposit box contents, with its owner.
Nationwide, nearly 33 million people in the United States – one in every 10 – are estimated to have unclaimed property available for them to claim.
How Can I Find Unclaimed Property in My Name?
West Virginians searching for lost financial assets can go to www.WVUnclaimedProperty.gov. In addition to finding property, the website will also help you track a claim.
A demonstration of how to use the Unclaimed Property search site is available on the Treasury’s YouTube page, at: https://youtu.be/K09yQ7YNKlE.
To search for lost financial assets outside West Virginia, visit www.MissingMoney.com.